The atmosphere and setting was great. The grounding for my recovery was set here and I am still clean today.
all centers >Africa > Plettenberg Bay > South Africa > Western Cape Bethesda Addictions Treatment Centre
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£3,500
28 days
With comfortable facilities and a soothing environment, Bethesda is an experienced, no-nonsense center that treats a wide variety of addictions.
About Bethesda Addictions Treatment Centre
COVID-19 Update (Mar 29, 2020): Bethesda is an essential service with permission to continue operations and provide care, while following health and safety guidelines. Bethesda founders created a home help intervention program, E-hab B4 Rehab, that people can access while at home.Read more of the precautions Bethesda is taking.
Our residential treatment programme incorporates proven helpful life lessons applicable to both our clients and their families. In this way, the addiction is treated and a stable foundation is laid for successful ongoing rehabilitation and recovery, with reliable relapse prevention and accountability. Bethesda is unique by virtue of its first-class quality, realistic fees, and on-going aftercare programmes.
Founded
2001
Occupancy
6-15
Languages
English
Afrikaans
Dutch
Price & Length
£7,000 | 60 days
£10,500 | 90 days
Extended options available
Who We Treat
Men and Women
Specializations
Young Adults
Executive Treatment
Professionals Treatment (e.g. doctors, lawyers, pilots)
Substance Abuse
Chronic Relapse
Philosophy
Family Program
Group Therapy
On-Site Detox
One to One
Therapies
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Group Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
1-on-1 Counseling
What We Treat
Codependency
Marijuana
LSD, psychedelics
Gaming
Aftercare
Support Meetings
Outpatient Treatment
Ability to Call a Counselor
Aftercare Home Support
Special Considerations
Other dietary needs (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.)
COVID-19 Measures
Amenities
Library
Fitness Center
Gardens
Activites
Hiking
Physical Fitness
AA/NA Meetings
Beach Walks
5
(14 Reviews)
13 out of 14 reviewers recommend this provider.
Accommodations
Food & Nutrition
Treatment
Value
Pros
Cons
Mary Anne
Former Client
Profile: Female
From: Cape Town
Occupation: Support Councilor
Treatment Received: 2010
Length of Stay: 90 days
Conditions Treated: Methamphetamine
4/12/2019
The atmosphere and setting was great. The grounding for my recovery was set here and I am still clean today.
Pros
Luxurious Accommodations
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Access to Nature
Beautiful Location
Fun Activities
Treated With Respect
Friendly & Competent Staff
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Kate
Former Client
Profile: Female
From: Johannesburg
Occupation: Personal Assistant
Treatment Received: 2017
Length of Stay: 30 days
Conditions Treated: PTSD, Anxiety, Alcohol, Methamphetamine
4/12/2019
From the moment of walking in, scared and afraid, to walking out into a brand new life with confidence .... they take you apart to show you how to fix yourself to bring yourself back into being the best possible version of yourself with holistic approaches and tough love. If you are prepared to put in the work and dig deep into your guts .... the results are proof enough .... it works .... but if you are not prepared to be 150% brutally honest ... dont even bother attempting, they will see through you straight away ....
The house is amazing, you have bright and airy bedrooms which are spacious and luxurious, a home away from home. They give you a good schedule to work from on a daily basis with multiple activities that need to be done on a daily basis. One of the best things I got from this was, actually getting back into a proper routine, taking the time to do work on myself and not feeling guilty.
The next other best thing about Bethesda .... the food .... homecooked meals especially designed to keep you healthy and get your body back into the routine of a healthy balanced diet of regular meals which are made with love from their own amazing Chef.
The final best thing I have on the house .... is the team that works there .... every single one of them from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave, are encouraging, supportive, hard and loving. You are never alone, you are never judged, most of them have been in that dark place that we all never want to talk about, but they know it and they pull it out of you in a way that is amazing and once you have that release ... wow ... only from strength to strength you go, building yourself back up again.
Pros
Personalized
Treated With Respect
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Friendly & Competent Staff
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Confidential
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Fun Activities
Beautiful Location
Addressed Trauma
Supportive Aftercare
Access to Nature
Luxurious Accommodations
Cons
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Martin O.
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: Netherlands
Treatment Received: 2016
Length of Stay: 60 days
7/24/2018
Excellent counclers, perfect suited therapy. Family-setting with plenty individual care/therapy. Group therapy well organized and monitored. Individual assignments on a personal and profesinal skill well performed and treated. Well trained counslers who perfectly understand the mind and doing of a struggling addict. Perfect place with a perfect treatment
Pros
Straightforward Costs & Expectations
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Access to Nature
Supportive Aftercare
Luxurious Accommodations
Friendly & Competent Staff
Personalized
Confidential
Fun Activities
Treated With Respect
Addressed Trauma
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Beautiful Location
Flexibility to Work
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Sean
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: Bloemfontein
Treatment Received: 2017
Length of Stay: 90 days
Conditions Treated: Alcohol, Cocaine
7/24/2018
I appreciate the fact that I was treated with respect and dignity without watering down the seriousness of addiction and equipping me with all the knowledge that I'll need to fight this disease for the rest of my life. The treatment centre is situated in one of the most beautiful locations in South Africa if not the world and the centre has a homely atmosphere and helped me to embrace the treatment offered because it didn't feel 24/7 if you were in a treatment centre
Pros
Beautiful Location
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Treated With Respect
Access to Nature
Personalized
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
KP
Former Client
Profile: Female
From: Knysna
Occupation: Attorney, Mom
Treatment Received: 2018
Length of Stay: 60 days
Conditions Treated: Alcohol, Personality Disorder, Bipolar, PTSD, Co-Occurring Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, Cocaine, OCD, Trauma
4/12/2019
I was not sure what to expect but I knew I would not survive one more day in active addiction. The 1st person I met on arrival was John who checked me in. He was very kind & warm & made me feel welcome. Next I met the other clients who showed me around & explained how everything worked.
I felt safe at Bethesda. It was the 1st time I had felt safe. I experienced healthy relationships & boundaries, structure & routine. All things I desperately needed to learn. My step work gave me big insights about my life. I learnt a lot from the groups. The Bethesda Team genuinely care about helping other addicts get & stay clean. They showed me a new way of living!Pros
Straightforward Costs & Expectations
Friendly & Competent Staff
Access to Nature
Luxurious Accommodations
Personalized
Treated With Respect
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Fun Activities
Supportive Aftercare
Beautiful Location
Addressed Trauma
Confidential
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Appie
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: The Netherlands
Occupation: Engineer
Treatment Received: 2016
Length of Stay: 60 days
Conditions Treated: Marijuana, Cocaine, Alcohol, Gambling
1/31/2020
The best rehab i ever been to .
Collin is a genius oversees every type of bs.Sixth sense type a guy
The food super tes is the cook a warm casting person
Pros
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Straightforward Costs & Expectations
Fun Activities
Confidential
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Marina du Plessis
Former Client
Occupation: Permanent Make-up Artist
Treatment Received: 2019
Length of Stay: 45 days
4/13/2020
What I enjoyed most about Bethesda was that I felt safe and cared for. The small groups is great because no one fall through the cracks. I've learned so much living in a house environment with other people who fought the same struggles than me. For the first time in my life I got a honest and objective opinion without feeling judged. Through rediscovering myself, my worth and my values, it generated feelings inside me, to truely wanted to change.
If I look back at the last 8 months of my life and the transformation I've been through, but most of all, not only me but my family as well! I'm forever grateful to Colin and his amazing team.The food is amazing!
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Jef
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: Belgium
Occupation: Advertising
Treatment Received: 2019
Length of Stay: 60 days
Conditions Treated: Cocaine, Marijuana, Trauma, Alcohol
02/24/2020
When asked the question what it is the team at Bethesda did for me, and more specifically what impact they had on me and my addiction, one answer comes to mind: They saved my life.
This statement might come across as an exaggeration to someone who is not familiar with the problem of addiction, and I have to admit that I myself would’ve rolled my eyes if I would have heard such statement 6 months ago. But it’s the truth. And helping me realize (or come to terms with) that truth was the first thing the counselors at Bethesda did. A truth that I had been minimizing, ignoring & sugarcoating for the larger part of the 15 years prior to my trip to Plettenberg, South Africa: that my addiction was going to kill me, but not before destroying everything & everyone close to me. And that there was nothing I could do about it unless I became willing to turn my life around drastically.
I came to rehab (like a lot of people do), convinced that I just had a problem with drugs (cocaine & weed to be precise) and that if I could learn how not to give in to the cravings to use those substances, my life would automatically restore itself and all would be well. I had lost count of how many times I had tried quitting on my own, always relapsing after several weeks or months. I kept coming up with new excuses about why it didn’t work out this time and how next time would be different. A vicious and destructive cycle that brought me to the point where I simply did not know what to do anymore and was ready to have someone else tell me what to do and how to do it. Until this day I am grateful that that ‘someone else’ turned out to be Colin and his team. The people who taught me that getting clean is about so much more than ‘not using drugs’. That in order to get clean there is only one thing you need to change, and that’s everything.
I find it hard to put into words what it is I actually ‘discovered’ at Bethesda. Mostly because it isn’t just one thing…it’s countless things that, when seen together, made my encounter with Colin & his team the start of a new life. A new me. A second reason why describing how I got clean is a little weird is because I am only nine months clean & in recovery when writing this and have learned that being humble is a vital part of staying clean. So, acting as if now all of a sudden I am ‘Captain Recovery’ feels a little off.
Therefore, instead of explaining in detail how Colin and the counselors were able to help me change my perspective on my addiction, on myself and on my life, I have tried to summarize the most essential elements that, for me personally, made them the perfect companions in the journey that is recovery.
First and foremost, they held up a mirror in which I could see ‘the real me’, a person I hadn’t seen in years. During my active addiction I had become so used to lying and deceiving everyone (including myself) that I had lost track of who I really was. I had grown used to adapting myself into whatever person I needed to be to get my way, and coming into Bethesda this was no different. Subconsciously I was holding up masks to make people (and, I can’t stress this enough, myself included) see me, how I wanted them to see me. In this case: the perfect recovering addict who had everyone best interests at heart.
Colin and the counselors filtered right through this bullshit and made it clear that they were not interested in the ‘fake me’. That they couldn’t help me if I kept up my defences. They showed me the value of being my true self, of getting in touch with the broken & scared little boy that was hidden away behind the overconfident & people-pleasing guy I had become over the years. They acknowledged how scary it is to truly be yourself, but at same time how valuable it is. How much happiness it brings over time. And how free it makes you feel. Free as opposed to the trapped feeling of being an addict.
All of the above, they didn’t just teach me, they showed me. Because they were their true selves, on a regular basis. They spoke from experience instead of from textbooks and they did not only profoundly study addiction, and more importantly how to recover from it: they lived it.
Last but not least Colin and his team created a place in which it was perfectly ok to be myself, even the worst possible version. I’m not talking about the literal physical place that is Bethesda, the building, the rooms, the courtyard… It’s the atmosphere of thrust. The feeling that within those walls there is no judgement, and anything can be talked about without being afraid of how others will react. The level of honesty & open-mindedness I witnessed shocked me, and at the same time made it so much easier to open up and talk about my deepest and darkest secrets.
The team explained how important it was to show and recognize the most horrible side of myself, the monster that each and every addict has within them, because only then could I learn how to control it...... Not kill it, because addiction cannot be killed. But it can be treated and controlled.
In case it wasn’t clear by now: I would recommend Colin and his team to everyone (addict and non-addicts) because I’m convinced that literally anyone would benefit from having someone speak that open and honest to them. And I am forever grateful for the lessons they’ve taught me about life and about myself. And for helping me to never use drugs again, just for today
Pros
Confidential
Treated With Respect
Friendly & Competent Staff
Access to Nature
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Beautiful Location
Personalized
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Eric van Es
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: The Netherlands
Occupation: Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer
Treatment Received: 2013
Length of Stay: 60 days
Conditions Treated: Alcohol, Benzodiazepines, Ecstasy, Heroin, Marijuana, Nicotine / Smoking, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Co-Occurring Disorders
4/16/2020
My time in Bethesda saved my life. I wandered 30 years in the valley of poly addiction and due to the care, education, inspiration, revelation and love I started to believe in a clean and sober life. I left Bethesda with so much richness, a good home recovery plan and trust to start my new born life. I still here the lessons resonating in my system. I am so grateful that God gave me this change and brought me to Bethesda and saved my life. I wish my Dad could have seen me clean and sober. Thank God my mom does. She got her son back and I me mom. With love from Holland.
Eric van Es
Clean & Sober since 17 Sept 2013
Pros
Friendly & Competent Staff
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Access to Nature
Luxurious Accommodations
Treated With Respect
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Personalized
Supportive Aftercare
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Disagree
Would not recommend
George R.
Former Client
Occupation: Director
Treatment Received: 2015
Length of Stay: 60 days
4/12/2019
I would highly recommend Bethesda, I stayed for 6 weeks and although it was tough I am very grateful to them. I have visited them after my care and have remained in touch at times since my stay. Great team with an abundance of knowledge in addiction.
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Anthony O.I
Former Client
Profile: Male
Occupation: Journalism
Treatment Received: 2015
Length of Stay: 56 days
Conditions Treated: Alcohol
4/6/2020
I got to Bethesda two days after my last drink. I felt at home immediately I walked through the door. My counsellors were amazing, my roommate was helpful and the other clients received me like on their own. Bethesda runs a programme based on the 12 Steps. I was taught to be part of humanity again. The counsellors treated me with empathy and honesty. I believe having years of recovery themselves helped. Bethesda does not force recovery on you. It makes you want to recover. There were supervised visits to the beach, gym and stores. And the food was lovely. Coming from a country without an active AA or NA community, Bethesda gave me the tools to navigate the early days of sobriety and ensured that I live sober. I still reach out to them till date for counselling. The 56 days in Bethesda saved my life.
Pros
Addressed Trauma
Treated With Respect
Personalized
Beautiful Location
Luxurious Accommodations
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Access to Nature
Friendly & Competent Staff
Confidential
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Fun Activities
Supportive Aftercare
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
L Vorster
Former Client
Profile: Female
From: Johannesburg
Treatment Received: 2017
Length of Stay: 45 days
Conditions Treated: Alcohol
7/31/2018
A wonderful place with people that care and support Comfortable and clean. The BEST food.
Pros
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Luxurious Accommodations
Treated With Respect
Confidential
Beautiful Location
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Access to Nature
Flexibility to Work
Personalized
Addressed Trauma
Fun Activities
Friendly & Competent Staff
Cons
Shallow Post-Treatment Planning
Not Enough Time With Therapist
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Charelle T.
Former Client
Profile: Female
From: Florida, Gauteng
Treatment Received: 2017
Length of Stay: 90 days
Conditions Treated: Depression, Cocaine, Trauma, PTSD, Methamphetamine, OCD, Marijuana
7/24/2018
My stay was truly life changing staff put in there all an give you the reason to stand up an fight for your life. They teach you the quality in enjoying going out an having fun clean. Councellers an programs are excellent information on your responsibility very good. Food was amazing really most life changing happy time
Pros
Treated With Respect
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Supportive Aftercare
Personalized
Beautiful Location
Friendly & Competent Staff
Luxurious Accommodations
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Addressed Trauma
Access to Nature
Fun Activities
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Confidential
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend
Juan
Former Client
Profile: Male
From: South Africa
Occupation: Police Officer
Treatment Received: 2016
Length of Stay: 60 days
Conditions Treated: Cocaine, Trauma
4/5/2020
Bethesda treatment Centre was my beacon of hope and light, it's not just a treatment centre but a home away from home. Those who choose Bethesda will never make a mistake. The staff is the best and the care and attention you receive is second to none.
Pros
Friendly & Competent Staff
Straightforward Costs & Expectations
Supportive Aftercare
Gourmet & Nutritious Food
Smooth Transition Post-Treatment
Addressed Trauma
Confidential
Fun Activities
Excellent & Effective Treatment Programming
Luxurious Accommodations
Access to Nature
Flexibility to Work
Beautiful Location
Personalized
Treated With Respect
The provider’s claims accurately describes who they are and what they do: Agree
Would recommend